US embassy cable - 05HELSINKI303

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000303 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO G/IWI (KHADIAGALA) AND EUR/NB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, ELAB, PHUM, PGOV, SCUL, SOCI, FI 
SUBJECT: FINLAND:  CHILD MARRIAGE 
 
REF: SECSTATE 36341 
 
1.  (U)  The following responses are keyed to paragraph 6 of 
reftel: 
 
A)  (U) The legal age of marriage for males and females in 
Finland is 18.  The Ministry for Justice reports that the 
overwhelming majority of marriages in Finland are between 
couples age 18 and older.  It is possible to petition the 
Justice Ministry for permission to marry below the age of 18 
in special circumstances and with parental consent (if 
applicable).  In practice, this rarely happens, and when it 
does occur, it is usually in conjunction with a pregnant 
teenager petitioning to marry the baby's father (also a 
teenager or young man) and not in conjunction with a "child 
bride" phenomenon.  In 2003, out of a total of 25,815 
marriages, only two males and 24 females were under 18 at the 
time they were married. 
 
B)  (U) Underage marriage is not a significant problem in 
Finland.  Neither ethnic Finns nor minorities marry before 
the age of 18 except in unusual circumstances.  NGOs that 
work with minority groups report that they receive complaints 
from Kurds and others that Finnish consular officials abroad 
will not approve visas for adult women who wish to come to 
Finland to marry as a result of an "arranged" marriage; 
according to the NGOs, it would be extremely unlikely that 
Finnish officials would approve such an arrangement with a 
minor.  Finnish couples tend to marry relatively late in 
life.  In 2003, the average age of first marriage for females 
was 29 and for males 31;  the trend is toward even later 
marriages. 
 
C)  (U) N/A. 
MACK